Chapter 80 Reunion

James hit the deck like a pro and shot a look over at Daniel to give him the heads-up.

Daniel hit the dirt too, but after a few beats, he figured out the bullets weren't meant for him.

When the heavy machine gun finally shut up, Daniel peeked up towards the camp. Smoke was still hanging around, but nothing else was moving.

"Daniel, someone just mowed down the rest with a heavy machine gun," Natalie chimed in.

Daniel let out a big breath, whipped out his phone, and dialed Donovan. As soon as Donovan picked up, Daniel yelled, "Donovan, that you?"

Donovan sighed on the other end, "Yeah, it's me. How many of you are there?"

"The shell blast took out five. I just offed an outer guard and then used the heavy machine gun to finish the last three Sea Hounds. Should be eleven left. How many did you guys get?"

Daniel thought back: one guard, then he and James took out four trying to bolt, and then they hit a nine-man crossfire.

They dropped six, and Donovan finished the last three with the heavy machine gun.

Knowing they got them all, Daniel whistled and grinned, "If I got it right, there should only be you left out of the 21."

Donovan was quiet for a sec, then said, "All dead? How many of you came?"

Daniel stood up from his spot, saw James sneaking through the woods, and grinned, "Just the two of us."

"No way!"

"Believe it. Hang tight, I'm coming over."

"No, the camp's a wreck. I'll come to you. Oh, crap, Komodo, drop the knife, we're on the same side."

"Get your hand off the machine gun, or I'll slice it off."

"Alright, alright."

Daniel hung up, still smiling, and headed towards the camp.

The fight was quick and not too crazy.

The sketchiest part was those few minutes of standoff!

James set the tempo, and Daniel followed his lead perfectly, making it a top-notch fight.

James might not have racked up as many kills as Daniel, but he was the MVP!

James didn't need to spell it out; his moves set the pace, showing Daniel how to handle the fight and who to take out first.

Daniel didn't let him down either; his shooting was on point, and taking out the flankers was the game-changer.

As for James putting himself out there to pin down the enemies at 11 o'clock while drawing fire from 1 o'clock, it wasn't as risky as Daniel thought.

They were about 180 feet apart with trees in between. Not everyone was a sharpshooter like Daniel. Hitting James wasn't easy, and if Daniel missed, James could hit the deck and buy a few seconds to dodge the bullets.

But Daniel had to admit, James was a beast.

Experience alone didn't cover it. James had mad trust in Daniel's shooting and seemed to know exactly how much heat Daniel could handle.

From the moment Daniel popped the flanking guy, James switched gears, letting Daniel take the lead while he played decoy and cover.

Sure, Daniel racked up more kills, but a soldier's worth ain't just about body count.

Following the trail of bodies into the camp, Daniel sneezed a few times, then grinned at Donovan nearby, "What's that stench? Your mortar shells past their sell-by date?"

Seeing James lower his gun as Daniel showed up, Donovan wiped the grime off his face and said, "Let's move upwind. The blast set off a tear gas canister. Smells like crap."

As they walked upwind, Donovan paused, looking shocked, "You really only had two guys? Where's Harpy?"

Daniel pointed to the mountain top, "If you got the guts to climb up and flip the bird, you'll find out where Harpy is."

Donovan glanced at James nearby and asked, "You two took out 11 guys? How'd you pull that off?"

Daniel found a clean-ish rock to sit on and smirked, "Forget about us. You took out nine solo. How'd the other six bite it, besides the three from the heavy machine gun?"

Donovan pointed to the camp's center, "I rigged a timed explosive. It took out five mortar guys, and I nailed an outer guard in the chaos.

You know, I'm a pro!"

Seeing Donovan's smug look, Daniel chuckled, "Shadow Ops Unit is top-notch, but you sure you wanna stick with me from now on?"

Donovan pulled out a pack of smokes, handed one to Daniel, lit one for himself, and took a deep drag, "The Mori Family wants me dead along with their two heirs. If I go down, my folks and sister are toast."

Looking Daniel dead in the eye, Donovan said, "Jackal, you're a solid dude. If you can take down the Mori Family, I'd be stoked to work for you. Otherwise, it's all talk."

Daniel got it. As long as the Mori Family was around and people remembered Donovan, he'd never have peace.

Talking about 'work' now was jumping the gun. They wouldn't have a good life until the Mori Family was history.

Daniel took a whiff of the cigarette, then nodded seriously, "The Mori Family holds grudges like nobody's business. Do I have any other choice?"

Waving his hand towards the sky, Daniel watched a sky-blue camo drone head towards the mine and said to Donovan, "But our main gig now is to take out the Mori Family's crew in southern Sudania, and the Oakenshield snitch who sold me out.

You know where they are?"

Donovan nodded, "Yeah, they're in Mystic Town, north of Pearlhaven.

But that's Novarian turf. Charging in guns blazing ain't gonna cut it. Best to sneak in at night and off them before they know what's up.

The Sea Hounds have night vision gear. The Mori Family's only got 15 guys there. We got a shot."